"On a note of history, this poem was actually the genesis of Summons. Jwani sent me (his Literature teacher in Form 6) two poems from JKT one of which was I am a Fighter and I said ... somehow, this poem must be published it is so good. Then after trying to get other people interested in a book of poetry (as I was just a very young literature teacher and still quite young in Tanzania) without success, I said 'potelea mbali' and wrote to all my former students who were interested and their friends suggesting they bring poems so that we could develop our own anthology. But I am a Fighter is still one of my favourite poems of the whole collection" - Richard Mabala

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"I have just received sad news from different sources that our Prof. Juan Mwaikusa passed away last night" - Daniel Welwel--------------"Total shock and disbelief. What a tragic loss, and a tragic waste. All my thoughts are for his family. May we be with them and support them at this terrible moment. And for us all. How can we afford to lose such brilliant and committed people." - Richard Mabala--------------"Aaaaa Jamani, hii ni mbaya kabisa.Jwani, Mwanasheria jabari na mshairi mahiri is no more?Oh God, but why these majambazi!!My condolences to the bereaved family, and Tanzanians at large" - Adam Lingson---------------"Duh!very sad, may he rest in eternal peace! its shocking the timing too bad for us human rights activists we really needed him most!" - Bernard Baha--------------"Such a sad new. It may have nothing to do with his role as Friend of Court during the Independent candidacy at the Court of Appeal but the timing is disturbing." - Adam Jackson------------

Introductory Note From the Publisher - Columbia University PressFor centuries the dhow, a traditional Arab sailing vessel, operated according to the principles of free trade, carrying sailors, traders, passengers, and cargo to ports within Africa, India, and the Persian Gulf. The dhow was a vibrant means of social interaction, and the goods it carried embodied a great deal of social and cultural meaning. One could say the dhow gave birth to a number of cosmopolitan peoples and cultures, establishing and maintaining a genuine dialogue between civilizations.

By the fifteenth century, the global world of the Indian Ocean had matured, and Islam became the dominant religion. It spread not by sword but by peaceful commerce, and the heroes of this world were not continental empires but a string of small port city-states stretching from Kilwa to Melaka. Their influence penetrated deep into the economies, societies, and cultures of the continental hinterlands, yet two major incursions turned this world upside down: the Chinese expeditions launched at the beginning of the fifteenth century and the Portuguese explorations conducted at its close. The contrast could not have been starker between the dhow's long-standing tradition of free trade and Vasco da Gama's epoch of armed trading, which ultimately led to colonial domination. Abdul Sheriff unravels this rich and populous history, recasting the roots of Islam as they grew within the region, along with the thrilling story of the dhow.

Question 1: Did Ancient Egypt know about the Source of the Nile i.e. 'Lake Victoria'?Answer 1:I do not have an answer to your question on Egyptian knowledge about the sources of the Nile. But I thought I would share knowledge about the Chinese. A map drawn in 1402 (below), before Prince Henry the Navigator started his explorations. The map clearly shows the rough outline of Africa when geographers still thought S. Africa turned eastwards to join with Asia since Ptolemy. Of interest to you would be the huge lake in the centre of the African continent, the Great Lakes Region. So how did they know? You can get more info under Kangindo map 1402 on the web.

Question 2: Why, then, China did not imperialize/colonise the whole of Africa?Answer 2: You raise a very interesting question which cannot be dealt with here. But I am qouting below a short conclusion that I have in my forthcoming book Dhow Cultures of the Indian Ocean which refers to the same issue. You will need to read Needham's fuller volume, but I do not know if you can find it anywhere in Tanzania - I have only the abridged version. Of course, China did conquer many nationalities overland, and may be decribed as 'imperialistic' in a loose sense the Rome and other empires conquered. But at sea in the Indian Ocean they resisted for good political economy reasons which I cannot go into here.

‘The contrast between Zheng He’s expeditions and Vasco da Gama, and their general behaviour towards the littoral populations, could not have been greater. Although the Ming expeditions were unorthodox in the amount of force they used in their dealings with the petty states around the Indian Ocean rim, they still largely abided by the then prevalent general principle that the big continental states of Asia had no business interfering in the free trade of the Indian Ocean . Despite their manifest ability to subdue the petty states had they wished, the Chinese did not embark on trans-oceanic conquest. They remained, as Needham well puts it, ‘an empire without imperialism.’ ( Needham , Joseph (1986) The Shorter Science and Civilisation in China, abridged by Colin A. Ronan, Cambridge : CUP.: iii.144) On the other hand, because of the absence of a challenge previously, the people of the Indian Ocean were ill prepared to face the new aggression from the west.’ (Sheriff, Dhow Cultures of the Indian Ocean, London: Hurst & NY:Columbia UP, 2010, p. 314.)

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Frankly speaking, the subject of Independent Candidacy does not require much expertise than simple reading of our current KATIBA.

Any person who can read to understand - not mere reading, read to understand, will clearly figure out what the KATIBA states and what is required now to remedy the status quo. Here Mwalimu Nyerere's position holds water, BIG time!

With regards to the Powers the Presidency has, indeed, that requires the changes to the serving current constitution to ensure the check and balance works favourably to the nation, to the country and not the 'ruling group' of the time.

One point that has been used from Nyerere's time until now is that our young Nations need powerful Presidency to take the country forward. Good example will be if the Presidency of the day came up with some brilliant ideas that were to be implemented, that were not popular, that will be painful to take in the first days, yet the rewards are massively beneficial to the nation, those powers could be used to achieve the desired end. Whether that happened, is happening or to the contrary is true, one can leave that to the sensible people of the day to make up ones mind!

The people of this nation today are progressive, smart, articulate, tolerant, peaceful and well informed in the current issues of the day, completely different from 50 years ago.

Our Leaders of the day, from all organs of the state must be careful to ensure they mostly if not always, reflect what our nation has become of today. The society yields Leaders who are like them. If this equation falters, one side of the equation will always have to change as for the equation to remain valid. This is not any person's law. This is one of many laws of nature that anyone who fights against is assured to loose, and loosing one looses in a BIG way!

Many people will have many views on the subject, and also on the current Administration in Tanzania. Some of these views many of us may agree and many of us may not agree.

Irrespective of the position taken, this to me I see it as one tangible achievement for the current Tanzanian Administration to have had an opportunity to steer this East African initiative, happening under their watch and Leadership.

It is not unexpected for the small prints to have short term pros and cons, but one theme remains, that we are forging towards a united front as Africa, and EAC is one of the blocks towards that - though I remain proponent of Nkrumah's approach, an opportunity that was, in my view tragically missed in the early years.

I have shared my views in some of previous discussions online that a United Africa, as far fetched dream as it may currently seem to some, to the Global positioning as a reality, the direction and aspired position of a United Africa, is not a choice, it is mandatory for African Partner states if we are to achieve and retain any useful economic position and power in global affairs now and in future as we move on within this 21st century.

That is the vision and direction as Africans we must not loose focus and for that East African Common Market milestone achieved to date is a highly commendable achievement, credit to the Tanzania Administration, Partner States Administrations and East African population should be tremendously proud of.

Karibu kwenye ulingo wa kutafakari kuhusu tunapotoka,tulipo,tuendako na namna ambavyo tutafika huko tuendako/Welcome to a platform for reflecting on where we are coming from, where we are, where we are going and how we will get there